Highlight 3: Summer!
There were several highlights from the summer. In early June we hosted two interns. One was our own Kristin Wade, who was able to work with us throughout the summer and live in the neighborhood. The other was Claire Branstetter, a student at the University of Kansas who is studying sociology and is also fluent in Spanish. Both Kristin and Claire were able to contribute tremendous gifts to our work. Kristin’s time with SoCe was paid by the grant from the Knight Foundation as well as other donations. Claire’s time with SoCe was paid by a generous gift from Woodlawn UMC in Derby, Kansas. 

In addition to working to build relationships in the neighborhood, Kristin offered her multitude of artistic skills by painting murals on garden boxes and offering a pottery class for our neighbors. Claire also spent time meeting neighbors and making connections. She also offered a daily Spanish class for those who wanted to be able to talk with their Spanish speaking neighbors. Together, Kristin and Claire were a great duo, and we had many, many insightful conversations throughout the summer. 

Also this summer, Adam Barlow-Thompson, who is ordained as pastor in the United Methodist Church, was officially appointed by extension to SoCe Life. This is a tremendous gift. Adam has tons of talents and is great at connecting with people. With SoCe Life he works to build connections and network with folks outside the neighborhood. His fundraising efforts have been well received as he shares the story of SoCe Life and invites people to work in partnership with us.